Steven Universe x Reader

Chapter Three - Strict Parents

Steven's POV:

she hated me. she literally ran away from me.

i took a calming breath in - garnet taught me some exercises after the... incident- and picked up her groceries, paying for them and wandering towards the boardwalk in hopes of spotting her.

finally, i spotted (Y/N) leaning against a rock with her eyes closed. not wanting to disturb her, i approached as quietly as i could and plopped down on the sand across from her, grocery bags slipping from my arms and sinking into the sand as well.

she opened her eyes and stood up quickly. "why can't you understand that i'm not going to be your friend?" she huffed. her voice was so unnaturally quiet that the sentence didn't even hurt my feelings.

"because i know you'll eventually say 'yes'." beamed at her.

"(Y/N)!" i heard someone yell from the boardwalk.

(Y/N) stiffened and turned around quickly, folding her hands behind her back.

the man on the boardwalk approached, eyes flaming with anger, "i thought i told you-" he made eye contact with me and his tone immediately changed. "i was getting worried about you, honey. did you get the groceries?" the man was not in good shape. he needed to shave, and it looked like he hadn't changed his clothes in a long time.

her eyes widened, and i stepped forward to offer her the cloth bags. "thank you." she whispered, giving me a warm look. she turned back to the man, "i'm coming, father!" she gathered the bags and jogged through the sand, following her father home.

-.-.-.-.-
garnet was sitting in the living room, speed-solving a puzzle when i got inside. she spoke before i could make it up the stairs, "you are still going to try, aren't you?" i saw a faint smirk on her face.

"why doesn't she like me?" i leaned against the railing, frowning.

"it is a complicated and private story. you will learn overtime." she placed another piece down. "have patience, steven. and please, be less insistent."

Y/N's POV: ⚠️ABUSE IS MENTIONED AHEAD⚠️

as soon as my father and i were inside, he landed a swift punch to my ribs to get my attention. "i thought i told you not to talk to that universe kid?! was i not clear enough?!"

"he won't leave me alone." i insisted, covering my injured side with my palm.

"try harder."

-.-.-.-.-
if it were up to me, i wouldn't have left the house for at least a week. everything was aching, my eye was swollen, my sides were bruised, and my eyes were puffy from crying.

but sadly, my father decided to have some friends over. after making them dinner and baring through their disgusting stares, i retreated to my room and locked the door. i slipped on a hoodie and slid out of my window, taking in the quiet and fresh air.

since the sun was setting and the shops along the boardwalk were closing down, the whole area was almost completely deserted for the night. i walked to the beach and settled against a large rock to watch the waves.

i ignored the shuffling noise a few feet away, praying i was imagining the familiar figure making his way towards me.

"hey, (Y/N)."

there goes my peaceful freedom.

i didn't respond, even as he stood in front of me and blocked my perfect view of the ocean.

he bent down to my level, giving me a surprisingly sharp look. he stayed quiet for was long as he could, trying to wait me out, before groaning. "come on, why don't you like me?!"

"maybe you aren't as likable as you think you are." i muttered. i squeezed my eyes shut, regretting what i had said as soon as the words came out. yes, my father told me to get him to stop hanging out with me, but i didn't want steven to hit me.

"no, i'm very likable." he said with a smile, he stood up straight, settling himself down next to me. "what are you out here, anyways?"

i shrugged, "it's peaceful."

"it is." he agreed. "i live on the beach, y'know."

"please, leave me alone." i tried again.

he leaned closer. "why? you seem like you need a friend."

i was about to answer, when i heard footsteps a few yards away. i peeked over the side of the rock, heart leaping to my chest when i saw my father and his friends drunkenly stumbling towards the shore.

without thinking, i grabbed steven's shirt and pulled him towards me, sliding to the other side of the rock and out of potential view.

"woah, what are you-" i shushed him and held my breath, staring at steven with impossibly wide eyes that screamed 'be quiet'.

my father and his friends passed us without noticing, too busy shoving and laughing boastfully.

i leaned your head against the rock in relief, exhaling heavily.

"who's that?" steven whispered.

"my dad. i need to get home before him."

steven nodded and stood up, holding out a hand for me to take. "i can drive you."

i shook my head. "it's fine, i can walk." i stood up without his help, but he grabbed my forearm and started pulling me in the opposite direction. my heartbeat quickened, thousands of terrified thoughts buzzing through my head.

after a few quiet minutes, we reached a small house wedged between the sand and the cliffside. a giant stone statue -a woman with many arms and  the moss spots- was formed out of the cliffside, weathered and cracked with age.

steven glanced back at me, following my gaze.
"it's the gem temple." he informed me. "have you never been to this side of the beach before? amethyst and i have parties all the time."

i shrugged and shook my head.

"you should come again sometime, i'll show you around." he led me to a silver car parked on the sand, opening the passenger door for me and jogging over to start the car.

i chose not to respond to his comment, sitting down in the seat and giving him my street name quietly, not the house.

steven made a u-turn in the sand and started towards town. "so, does this mean we're friends?" he asked me.

i looked out the window, "no, this is an emergency."

"why do you need to get home so fast?"

"i snuck out. i'll get in trouble if my dad finds out." i mumbled.

"my friend connie has strict parents, too." he nodded.

soon, steven stopped the car in front of ms. green's house. "is this it?" he almost sounded like he was testing me.

i nodded jerkily, throwing the door open. "yeah, thanks for the ride." i hopped out of the car and hurried up to ms. green's door.

i hoped what he said about 'knowing everyone in town' wasn't true, because that meant he would know i was lying.

[ACTUALLY edited]